Zooming in on the Sun-like star HD 10180

In this zoom sequence we start with a wide-field view of the southern sky, including the Magellanic Clouds. We gradually close in on the apparently unremarkable star HD 10180 in the little-known constellation of Hydrus (the Male Water Snake). Observations with the HARPS spectrograph, attached to ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla, Chile, have revealed the definite presence of five planets and evidence for two more in orbit around this star. This system is similar to the Solar System in terms of number of planets and the presence of a regular pattern in the sizes of the orbits. If confirmed the closest planet detected would be the lightest yet known outside the Solar System, with a mass that could be as small as only 1.4 times that of the Earth.